La Soufriere Volcano

In April 1979, the St Vincent La Soufrière volcano erupted in a large and violent explosion.

The La Soufrière volcano has a history of violent eruptions, the first in recorded history took place during 1718, followed by eruptions in 1812, 1902, 1971, and most recently, in 1979. The eruption of May 7, 1902, just hours before the eruption of Mount Pelée on Martinique, killed 1,680 people. The last recorded eruption started on “Good Friday”, April 13, 1979 and, fortunately, due to advance warning there were no casualties.

Vincentians living close to the eruption zone describe their feelings and fears during those terrible times.

Images of La Soufriere Volcano

The next two images of La Soufriere volcano show the deep scars to the mountain side after the 1979 eruption.

1979 Eruption

1979 Eruption

Aerial view of the new crater atop of the volcano that was formed after the 1979 eruption.